UF has a commitment to developing a culture of sustainability across all aspects of its activities, from teaching and research to buildings, transportation and procurement. We have new programs in sustainability, such as a universitywide minor in sustainability and a bachelor's in a sustainable built environment in the College of Design, Construction and Planning.

We have 25 green buildings in various stages of evolution, including Rinker Hall and Library West, which received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification. The university buys only hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles and has retired many unneeded and energy-consuming vehicles. University departments buy paper, printer cartridges and most other products based on a Green Procurement Policy. We have the highest bus ridership in Florida. The university is committed to becoming carbon neutral and having zero waste by 2015. There are few, if any, universities in the country with such depth of sustainability initiatives. A natural question is: Why are we engaged in this process?

One answer is that in the past year higher energy prices and substantial evidence of climate change make it imperative that we take action to prevent catastrophes. We are already feeling the effects of these twin challenges and consequently we are compelled to consider how to shift to behaviors that mitigate their impacts.

An even more powerful and compelling reason is a new vision of ethics that dovetails with the fundamental purpose of sustainability: ensuring future generations have access to the quality of life we enjoy.

Navigating the present to meet our obligations to future generations is the fundamental challenge of sustainability. We can find our way through the maze of decisions that faces us with respect to the future if we consider, too, several key ethical principles:

The Chain of Obligation is the foundational ethical principle of sustainability. As environmental economist Richard Howarth states, "...unless we ensure conditions favorable to the welfare of future generations, we wrong existing children in the sense that they will be unable to fulfill their obligations to their children while enjoying a favorable way of life themselves." Intergenerational justice - a key sustainability concept - includes parental responsibility for enabling their offspring to meet their moral obligations to their children and beyond.

The Precautionary Principle requires the exercise of caution when making decisions that may adversely affect nature, natural ecosystems and global, biogeochemical cycles. It states, "When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause-and-effect relationships are not fully established scientifically." Global climate change is an excellent example.

There are other ethical principles that underpin sustainability and, by extension, UF's decision to use sustainability as a framework to satisfy present and future needs. In short, let's consider the Gators of the next century and protect today's natural beauty, clean air and water, fertile soils and tropical climate. We have an ethical obligation to them to be sustainable.

Kibert is a professor at the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction and the director of the Powell Center for Construction and Environment. Support his work by contacting Lynne Capece, 352-392-4836, ext. 314.